Posts tagged "Cropping"

In this episode of 3, 2, 1, Photoshop, Julieanne demonstrates three tips for working with the crop tool, including quickly defining the crop area, maintaining flexibility while cropping to a specific aspect ratio, and cropping two images to the same size.

To cancel a crop, tap the escape key. To apply the crop, tap the enter key, double click inside of the crop marquee, or choose another tool from the tool bar (this last method displays the “Crop the image?” dialog).

“I” auto-populates the Width, Height, and Resolution with the dimensions of the active document. Note: you must make an adjustment to the Crop marquee before tapping the “I” key, otherwise Photoshop will select the Eyedropper tool.

“P” enables Classic Mode (in Classic Mode, the Crop marquee is repositioned, not the image). Note: you must make an adjustment to the Crop marquee before tapping the “P” key, otherwise Photoshop will select the Pen tool.

02) Click-drag the Crop Marquee

When you first select the Crop tool, most people don’t know that you can click-drag in the image area to define the Crop (instead of adjusting the crop handles that appear around the image by default).

03) Crop, then Crop Again

After applying a crop, Photoshop automatically hides the crop marquee even though the Crop tool is still selected. If you want to use the Crop tool again, click in the image area to display the crop marquee or, click-drag in the image area to define a crop.

04) Cropping to a Specific Ratio or File Size

With the Crop tool selected, choose Ratio from the Aspect Ratio/Crop Size drop-down menu in the Options bar and enter values to constrain the crop to a specific aspect ratio. Choose W x H x Resolution from the Aspect Ratio/Crop Size drop-down menu to enter specific values and crop to a specific image dimension. You can also choose from the preset values in the drop-down list (for either Aspect Ratio or Crop size) or, enter your own values and choose New Crop Preset to add the values to the drop-down.

05) Cropping to Another Image’s Dimensions (File Size)

To use the dimensions of one image to crop another image, select the document with the desired dimensions and select Front Image from the Aspect Ratio/Crop Size drop-down menu to auto-populate the width, height and resolution (or tap “I”). Then, switch to the document that needs to be cropped/resized and drag out the Crop marquee. When the crop is applied, the image will be resized to match the width, height, and resolution of the initial image. To save file size dimensions or aspect ratios (for reuse on future files) choose “New Crop Preset” from the Aspect Ratio/Crop Size drop-down menu.

Note: if an image needs to be resized when cropping, Photoshop uses the image interpolation option set in Preferences > General. The default setting, Bicubic Automatic, enables Photoshop to chose the best resampling method based on the document type and whether the document is scaling up or down.

06) Setting One Dimension in the Crop Tool

If you need an image to be a certain height (4 inches for example) but want to keep the width flexible, choose W x H x Resolution from the Aspect Ratio/Crop Size drop-down menu in the Options bar and enter “4in” for the height while leaving the width value empty.

07) Crop Options in Context Sensitive Menus

When using the Crop tool, Control -click (Mac) | Right -click (Win) within the Crop marquee enables quick access to the majority of options associated with the crop tool (including Reset Crop, Rotate Crop Box, Default Aspect Ratios, etc.). Note: most tools in Photoshop have context sensitive menus designed to increase efficiency so be sure to give them a try.

08) Crop Tool Snaps to Edge

By default, the Crop Tool is set to “Snap To” the edges of the document. While the snapping behavior is useful, it can make it difficult to crop close to the edge of an image. To disable the snapping behavior, choose View > Snap To and toggle off (uncheck) Document Bounds. To temporarily disable this “Snap To” behavior, press and hold the Control key while dragging the Crop marquee near the edges of the document. Note: there are additional options under View > Snap To including Grid, Guides, Layers, and Slices.

09) Cropping to a Selection in Photoshop

If a document has an active selection when the Crop tool is selected, Photoshop automatically matches the Crop marquee to the bounding rectangle of the selection. If you don’t want to crop to the selection, tapping the escape key will reset the crop to the image bounds (or as close to the image bounds as possible if there is an aspect ratio set for the Crop tool in the options bar). Repositioning the Crop marquee deselects the area. Note: Artboards don’t share this behavior.

10) Adding Canvas Using the Crop Tool

To use the Crop tool to add canvas to an image, drag the crop handles outside of the image area and apply the crop. To add transparency around the image (instead of filling the added canvas with the background color), convert the Background into a layer before using the Crop tool by selecting Layer > New > Layer From Background (or by clicking on the lock icon to the right of the word Background in the Layers panel).

11) Maintaining Flexibility when Cropping

To crop an image, yet retain the cropped area outside of the Crop marquee, uncheck Delete Cropped Pixels in the Options bar.

12) Reducing File Size by Deleting Content Outside of the Visible Image Area

To permanently delete information that extends beyond the visible image area (the canvas), select the Crop tool, check Delete Cropped Pixels in the Options bar, and tap Return (Mac) | Enter (Win). Photoshop previews any information that extends beyond the visible image area. Tap Return (Mac) | Enter (Win) again to apply the crop. Saving the document after cropping this way is permanent, so be sure that you won’t need to move/reposition/resize layers. Note: When working with Smart Objects, any extra image that extends beyond the visible canvas will not be deleted.

A second method would be to choose Select > Select All and then Image > Crop.

13) Straightening Images with the Crop Tool

When using the Crop tool’s Straighten option, the entire document (including all layers), are straightened. To straighten only a selected layer, use the Ruler tool.

14) Tool Presets

Tool Presets can increase our productivity by saving commonly used tool options. After setting tool options in the Options bar, click the tool icon at the far left of the Options bar to display the Tool Presets Picker. Click the New Preset icon (the dog-eared page icon) to save your preset. The next time you need to use the tool with those settings, select it from the Tool Preset Picker.

15) Content Aware Cropping In Photoshop CC

When using the Crop tool, the Content Aware option can intelligently fill in transparent areas with computer generated “Content aware” information. The video below demonstrates how.

16) Using the Crop Tool in Photoshop CC

Discover tips and techniques for using the Crop tool in Photoshop in this free video (The Crop Tool), from Photoshop CC 2017 Essential Training: The Basics on Lynda.com.

17) Crop and Straighten Photos in Photoshop CC

To speed up scanning or photographing multiple images, it might be faster to scan them as a single document. Then, choose File > Automate > Crop and Straighten Photos to automate the “cutting apart” of the images into their own documents.

18) Using the Perspective Crop Tool in Photoshop CC

Discover tips and techniques for using the Perspective Crop tool in Photoshop in this free video (Using the Perspective Crop tool), from Photoshop CC 2015 Essential Training: The Basics on Lynda.com.

To speed up scanning or photographing multiple images, it might be faster to scan them as a single document. Then, choose File > Automate > Crop and Straighten Photos to automate the “cutting apart” of the images into their own documents.

Learning how to use Photoshop efficiently and effectively is the best investment you can make to get the most out of your pixels. Photoshop CC Essential Training: The Basics filters out the noise and complexity so that you understand the basic features and concepts you need to use Photoshop effectively, whether you’re a photographer or designer.

Julieanne Kost reviews the basics of digital imaging, from bit depth to image size, and shows how to use different Photoshop tools to crop and retouch photos, while always maintaining the highest-quality output. She shows the most efficient ways to perform common tasks, including working with layers, making selections, and masking. Along the way, you will learn the secrets of nondestructive editing using Smart Objects, and master features such as adjustment layers, blend modes, filters, and much more—increasing your productivity every step of the way.

When compositing several images in a single document I often find that a portion of a layer (or portions of multiple layers) will end up being positioned outside of the visible image area. Photoshop, of course, is still keeping track of this information (in case I choose to reposition the layer), but when I’m certain that I will no longer need it, I can choose Select > All and then Image > Crop. This eliminates unnecessary information outside or beyond the visible image area and will typically help to keep my file size more manageable.

Note: when working with Smart Objects, Photoshop will still keep the additional information, regardless of whether or not you crop the document.

One can always select Image > Canvas Size to numerically add or subtract to the width or height of one’s image, but if you would rather eyeball it, try using the Crop tool. Drag out a crop marquee and release the mouse. Then, grab one of the anchor points and drag it beyond the visible image area. When the crop is applied,the area outside of the image and within the crop marquee will be added to the image canvas.

Note: to add transparency around the image (instead of filling the added space with the background color), convert the Background into a layer by clicking the Lock icon (on the Layers panel) before cropping.

The Crop tool’s behavior has been modified so that it is now solely responsible for defining the aspect ratio of the image and the Workflow options are responsible for determining the actual image size. For example, in order to create an image that is 8 x 10 inches at 300 ppi, click and hold the Crop tool to select 4 to 5 from the list of aspect ratios and crop the image as desired. Then, using the Workflow Options (accessed via the blue hyperlink at the bottom of the Camera Raw window), check the Resize to Fit option. Select Short Size from the drop down menu and enter 8 inches and a resolution 300 ppi. See how it works in the video below:

Shortcut – tapping the “X” key when using the Crop Tool toggles the aspect ratio from landscape to portrait and vice-versa.

To use the Crop tool to add canvas to your image, drag out a crop and release the mouse. Then, drag the crop handles outside of the image area and apply the crop. The area outside of the image will be added to the canvas. Note: to add transparency around the image (instead of filling the added space with the background color) convert the Background into a layer by selecting Layer > New > Layer From Background (or by clicking on the lock icon to the right of the word Background in the Layers panel).

In this episode of The Complete Picture (Adobe Camera Raw 8.2 in Photoshop CC (v14.1)), Julieanne takes a close look at the feature enhancements and refinements made to the Crop tool, workflow settings, and batch saving capabilities in Adobe Camera Raw. In addition she also covers improvements made to the Spot Removal Tool, Noise Reduction, Local Adjustment Brush, and Histogram.

While using the Crop Tool in Lightroom, Control -click (Mac) | Right Mouse -click (Win) in the image preview area to access a number of crop-related features including: Reset Crop, Crop as Shot, Constrain Aspect Ratio and Crop to Same Aspect Ratio. Or, you can use the following shortcuts:

The Crop tool’s behavior has been modified within Camera Raw 8.1. The Crop tool is now solely responsible for defining the aspect ratio of the crop and the Workflow Options are now responsible for determining the image size. For example, in order to create an image that is 8 x 10 inches at 300 ppi, click and hold the Crop tool to select 4 to 5 from the list of aspect ratios and drag the crop in the image as desired. Then, using the Workflow Options (accessed via the blue hyperlink at the bottom of the Camera Raw window), check the Resize to Fit option. Select Short Size from the drop down menu and enter 8 inches and a resolution 300 ppi.